Burntisland Primary teacher Danny Hubbard beat hundreds of nominees across the UK to be given a national Active School Hero award.
The P7 teacher won the prestigious accolade after he was nominated by senior active schools co-ordinator Liz Anderson.
The award celebrates staff working in primary schools throughout the UK to inspire children and young people to get active.
Danny’s Active School role
Danny, 40, arrived at Burntisland Primary nine years ago as a student, before becoming a probationer and then taking up a temporary teaching post before securing his current role.
The dad-of-two got involved in Active Schools, which offers free extra-curricular sport and physical activity opportunities to pupils, after seeing huge potential to grow sport at the school.
He said: “There were always kids at Burntisland who were good at sport but we didn’t have a lot of structure in the school for activities.
“So I started picking up the football, the athletics, the handball, the volleyball and that put me in touch with Liz Anderson who was the Active Schools co-ordinator for the area.
“I started running football teams here in 2014.”
Free lunchtime sports activities
Danny runs free sports activities at lunchtimes in the school – including football athletics cross country and handball/volleyball.
He said: “We have different age groups on different days but once the older ones are competent in their athletics, we get them to coach the younger ones while we oversee it.
“It is very important to keep kids active.
“The more opportunities we can give them with activities they want to do, the more we can get them into sports.
“It builds their confidence and a sense of togetherness.”
Gold School Sports Award
Danny was instrumental in Burntisland Primary School becoming one of the first primary schools in Fife to be awarded the Sportscotland GOLD School Sport Award in 2018, which it won again in 2021.
Liz said he is very much an asset at Burntisland Primary.
She said: “Danny has set up and run a school sport committee giving pupils a voice over the direction of sport and physical activity in the school.
“He has also coached a variety of football programmes and organised competitive football for male and female footballers in the school.”
Danny has also run a highly successful athletics club, with Burntisland representing Fife on several occasions and at regional and national athletics competitions.
Danny doesn’t do what he does for recognition, he does it for the pupils in his school and to be part of the amazing community that Burntisland Primary School has created.”
Liz Anderson, senior Active Schools co-ordinator
She added: “Danny doesn’t do what he does for recognition, he does it for the pupils in his school and to be part of the amazing community that Burntisland Primary School has created.”
Danny is a great ambassador for the school.”
Headteacher Julie Anderson
Head teacher Julie Anderson said: “Danny is a great ambassador for the school.”
Danny added: “I had no idea I had been nominated and was honestly blown away when I found out I had won.
“I am really proud to have been given this award.”
Conversation